Listen now | Today’s movie is Primer written, produced and directed by Shane Carruth. Primer is one of the most impressive independent small-budget films ever made. There’s a lot to admire about this movie. At the same time, it has some shortcomings that ultimately leave it feeling a bit hollow, which we discuss in this episode.
You guys described this perfectly. One of the few movies I had seen before hand and it seems to me to be a very good bad film. This also a perfect test for pretentious movie snobs because some people will tell you that they understood everything and it's a genius movie but I didn't get that sense. This feels more like a very cool idea that become too hard to handle eventually but funnily I don't think that the movie would have been better served by dumbing it down.
So I loved this film, especially when I watched it back in the day, but really enjoying this analysis of its flaws, good points about some of the flaws in the manner in which the story is presented, and how it misses out on deeply exploring aspects.
19:00 - You mention that the characters killed other versions of themselves, what made you think that they killed them? The way I've always understood this is that they drugged themselves so that they could take over for that time period. We see their drugged versions waking up later on - one wakes up in the attic, and through the movie the wife character had mentioned hearing an animal in the attic, so it all lines up there. Killing themselves would have been pretty psychotic, and would have been pretty unbelievable given their characters I think!
30:00 - Regarding box inside of a box, I think that was just so another box could be set up after it was brought back. Meaning you could go back in time, set up the second box, and then turn it on.. Yeah that was a fairly convoluted part.
Here is the obligatory guide for the film, which will answer everything! Though it is possibly more cryptic than the film.
You guys described this perfectly. One of the few movies I had seen before hand and it seems to me to be a very good bad film. This also a perfect test for pretentious movie snobs because some people will tell you that they understood everything and it's a genius movie but I didn't get that sense. This feels more like a very cool idea that become too hard to handle eventually but funnily I don't think that the movie would have been better served by dumbing it down.
So I loved this film, especially when I watched it back in the day, but really enjoying this analysis of its flaws, good points about some of the flaws in the manner in which the story is presented, and how it misses out on deeply exploring aspects.
19:00 - You mention that the characters killed other versions of themselves, what made you think that they killed them? The way I've always understood this is that they drugged themselves so that they could take over for that time period. We see their drugged versions waking up later on - one wakes up in the attic, and through the movie the wife character had mentioned hearing an animal in the attic, so it all lines up there. Killing themselves would have been pretty psychotic, and would have been pretty unbelievable given their characters I think!
30:00 - Regarding box inside of a box, I think that was just so another box could be set up after it was brought back. Meaning you could go back in time, set up the second box, and then turn it on.. Yeah that was a fairly convoluted part.
Here is the obligatory guide for the film, which will answer everything! Though it is possibly more cryptic than the film.
https://unrealitymag.com/at-last-a-definitive-timeline-for-primer/